Neil: Hello, I'm Neil.
Callum: And I'm Callum.
Neil: And this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Today we're talking
about political gaffes.
Callum: Yes, the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has suffered a rather embarrassing
moment. Some private remarks he made to the US President, Barack Obama,
during the G20 Summit in Cannes last week have been made public.
Neil: When a politician says or does something embarrassing, or which reveals
thoughts he doesn't want the public to know about, it's called a political gaffe.
More on political gaffes later on, but first a question for you, Callum. Are you
ready?
Callum: Go on!
Neil: Seeing as we're talking about heads of state, I have a question about
Presidents… Who is the President of Germany? Is it:
a) Angela Merkel
b) Christian Wulff
c) Jurgen Klinsmann
Callum: Christian Wulff.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Neil: OK, well, we'll see if you're right at the end of the programme. Now let's get
back to the subject of political gaffes. Let's find out exactly what it was that the
French President said. Here's a report from the BBC's Christian Frazer:
Christian Frazer, BBC
On Thursday, as journalists were gathering for a bilateral news conference with the American
and French presidents they were treated to a remarkable insight into the personal dynamics of
the negotiating room. "I can't look at him any more" said Mr Sarkozy, of the Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "he's a liar". "You're sick of him", said the American President
in some exasperation, "I have to deal with him every day."
Callum: Ah, yes. That is pretty bad, isn't it? He called the Israeli Prime Minister "a liar".
Neil: I think Barack Obama would rather his comments hadn't become public either.
He appears to have some sympathy for Mr Sarkozy by saying "I have to deal
with him every day". Callum, what does it mean "to deal with someone"?
Callum: It means to talk to and meet someone often as part of your job. But Neil, I
think one of the most interesting aspects of this story is that it took several
days for French journalists who overheard the comments to report the story.
Neil: Yes, French journalists overheard the comments. This means they heard them
without meaning to or without the speakers' knowledge. It seems pretty strange
to me for journalists not to report such a big story.
Callum: Yes, I'm not sure British journalists would act in the same way. Here's the
BBC's Christian Frazer again.
Christian Frazer, BBC
French journalists stunned by what they'd heard, initially agreed not to print the quotes. Was it
ethically unsound or was it the overbearing deference, even fear, with which French
journalists approach the political class? You can't help feeling British journalists might have
reacted differently. In fact they did when Gordon Brown made a similar mistake.
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Neil: The French journalists might have thought it was ethically unsound to print
the quotes. This means they might have thought it was below the standards of
their profession.
Callum: Or perhaps it was because in France there is a deference for the political class.
A deference is a politeness and respect for someone or something.
Neil: As the reporter says, this approach is very different to the treatment the former
British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, received from the British press when
he made a political gaffe before the last general election in the UK in May
2010. Do you remember what happened, Callum?
Callum: Yes, Gordon Brown was heard describing a person he had just spoken to as "a
bigoted woman". A bigoted person is someone with strong and unreasonable
opinions which they won't change under any circumstances.
Neil: And what kind of impact did this political gaffe have on Gordon Brown?
Callum: I think most people agree it was the final nail in his coffin.
Neil: The final nail in his coffin. This means it was the last in a series of events
leading to the failure of something. Gordon Brown lost that election and his
position as Prime Minister. Do you know of any other political gaffes, Callum?
Callum: There have been a few notable ones. My favourite was from a former US
President, Ronald Reagan. He was getting ready to go on air when he said this:
Ronald Reagan
My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will
outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.
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Neil: He joked that he'd signed legislation, meaning he'd created a law, which
banned Russia! He added that the bombing would start in five minutes!
Fortunately this wasn't broadcast but appeared at a later date. And so onto our
quiz question, Callum.
Callum: Yes, I'm ready.
Neil: I asked who the President of Germany is...
Callum: And my answer was Christian Wulff
Neil: And you were right. I was hoping to trick people with that question. The
President of Germany isn't as well known as the Chancellor, or Prime Minister.
In fact, I had to look him up myself just to check! Thanks Callum. Well we
hope you've enjoyed today's programme, and you'll join us again soon for
another 6 Minute English.
Both: Bye!
